The House Armed Services Committee plans to mark up the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act from June 22 to July 1, giving the chamber’s Democratic majority an opportunity to weigh about the dramatic increase proposed for active nuclear weapons programs at the Department of Energy and potential cuts to its nuclear cleanup budget.
The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) sets policy and spending limits for the Pentagon, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and the Defense Environmental Cleanup budget of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management. The nuclear weapons and waste portions are part of the strategic forces portion of the bill, which the Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee is slated to mark up at 1 p.m. Eastern time on June 22. The subcommittee sessions are all scheduled for June 22 to 23, followed by the full committee markup on July 1. They are open to the public, but remote viewing is recommended amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Senate Armed Services Committee plans to mark its version of the NDAA from June 8 to 10, with nearly all sessions closed to the public. The panel thinks it can get the full Senate to clear its version of the NDAA before July 4, around the time the House’s version of the measure would head to the lower chamber’s floor for debate.
The NNSA seeks about a $20 billion budget for fiscal 2021, which would be roughly a 20% raise from the present 2020 appropriation of more than $16.5 billion. The White House wants to provide $6.1 million for cleanup of defense-related nuclear waste by Environmental Management, which would be about $1.5 billion less than the 2020 appropriation.
House Democrats including Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) have balked at the NNSA’s request, with House Appropriations energy and water subcommittee Chairwoman Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) saying outright that the agency won’t get that much. However, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) fully supports the bigger NNSA budget.
Last year, the NNSA predicted it would need about $17 billion for fiscal 2021, which starts Oct. 1. This year, NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty said in congressional testimony that previous cost estimates for planned weapons modernization programs and infrastructure upgrades were far too low. Gordon-Hagerty cited a yearlong study she ordered of the entire NNSA complex.
Meanwhile, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on May 29 gave a broader look at the House of Representatives’ summer schedule, which shows the majority of June will be used for committee days for members to focus on major legislation to be passed before the end of the fiscal year.
In a Dear Colleague note, Hoyer highlighted the fiscal 2021 NDAA and yearly appropriations bills among several critical efforts. Every weekday in June is scheduled for committee work except for the last, June 30, which is scheduled for votes. In July, two weeks are scheduled for committee hearings from July 6 to 17, with the remainder of work days set aside for votes. In August, members are scheduled to return home for the annual district work period, before returning to Washington, D.C., after Labor Day for votes scheduled throughout September.
“I anticipate longer days in late June and in July in order to accommodate votes,” Hoyer said. “Votes may occur as early as 10:00 a.m. on the first day of the week, and votes may last into the evening on the last day of the week.”
Hoyer noted that if the House completes its committee work and votes by the end of July and barring any additional efforts that may need to be taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no changes will be made to the August district work period.
COVID-19 derailed the 2021 appropriations process, which after hearings in March was to begin in earnest in April, when subcommittees planned to mark up of draft spending bills.
At deadline Friday, neither the House nor Senate Appropriations committees had marked up any draft appropriations. In a presidential election year, with the pandemic ongoing and rising civil unrest in major cities nationwide, there are more than the usual concerns vying for lawmakers’ attention. If Congress cannot begin the appropriations process on time this summer, it might pass a continuing resolution that extends 2020 budgets beyond the Nov. 3 Election Day.
